The Fire of Promise
This is the sequel to Blood Red Sun. Again, if you have not read The Shadow of Night or Blood Red Sun, DO NOT READ THIS STORY!!! Otherwise, Shadowheart will find you. And his little rogues too!!! Rainfire 17:12, April 18, 2010 (UTC) -Prologue- On a field of dead grass, two cats fought. One was a black tom with a white tail-tip and glowing red eyes. The other, a snow white tom with a black tail-tip and glowing gold eyes. "Stop fighting me, brother. It is no use," snarled the black tom. "As long as you remain here, I will continue to fight," hissed the white tom. In the distance, you could hear cats wailing. Watching the two cats, was a russet she-cat. Her white muzzle shone with stars and her green eyes were sad. "Brightsoul. I will let you live if you leave now," suggested the black tom. "Never, Darkspirit," the white tom, Brightsoul, declined. "Why not, brother? As long as we are both here, Flamingsoot can't leave," the black tom, Darkspirit, asked. Darkspirit flicked his tail at the russet she-cat, Flamingsoot. "She will not leave until you are defeated," Brightsoul snarled. The two cats continued to fight. Flamingsoot looked up at the sky. "StarClan save my grand-child," she murmured. Chapter 1 I watched as three of my four kits stumbled around the nursery, eyes open for the first time. My shaggy gray tom, Wolfkit, had beautiful blue eyes like his father. So did my white tortie she-kit with black speckles around her face, Specklekit. Robinkit, a red-brown she-kit with a white tail-tip, had bright green eyes like my deceased mother. My fourth kit, Flamingkit, was a black tom with a russet tail-tip. He hadn't opened his eyes yet. Wolfkit, Specklekit, and Robinkit started to wrestle with Gingerkit and Redkit. Redkit was a russet tom with a white chest and blue-gray eyes and Gingerkit was a white she-kit with ginger patches and green eyes. They were my brother, Solarflare, and my friend, Sharptongue's kits. I licked Flamingkit gently. "You can open your eyes when ever you want," I murmured to him. He nodded and opened his eyes. They were blood red. I purred at him. I thought his eyes were beautiful. "I like your eyes," he murmured to me. "I like yours, too," I responded. He got up and walked over to his kin and they greeted him warmly. I watched them play a game. "I am Wolfstar, leader of WindClan! These are my Warriors, Gingerspots and Speckleface!" Wolfkit squeaked to Flamingkit, Redkit, and Robinkit. Specklekit and Gingerkit stood next to Wolfkit proudly. "Well, I am Flamingstar, leader of ThunderClan! These are MY Warriors, Redpelt and Robinwing!" Flamingkit boasted. Redkit and Robinkit held their chins up proudly next to Flamingkit. Solarflare and Nightowl entered the nursery and the kits turned around. "Oh no! ShadowClan Warriors! WindClan attack!" Wolfkit yowled and jumped at Solarflare, followed by Gingerkit and Specklekit. "ThunderClan, to me!" Flamingkit yowled and launched himself at Nightowl. Solarflare and Nightowl played with the six kits gently. Nightowl plopped onto the ground. "Great StarClan! You win! You win!" he panted. Solarflare did the same. Flamingkit seemed like the leader type. "Let's go outside. You can play rough out there," I said and got up. Sharptongue and I ushered the kits and two toms outside. The kits looked around, eyes wide. It wasn't too long before they began to wrestle again. I sat next to Nightowl and leaned against him. Sharptongue and Solarflare went to the fresh-kill pile. I stiffened when I saw Shadowheart watching the kits. Flamingkit totted over to me and I saw Shadowheart's eyes follow him. "Can we go to the elders for a story?" my black tom asked. "The apprentices are in there right now. Wait untill later," I said. He nodded and walked back to his kin. Shadowheart watched Flamingkit closely. I got up and stalked over to him. "You stay away from my kits or I'll hang your pelt from Tall Rock," I snarled. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Is that a promise?" he growled. I leaned in close. "I know about what you're planning, Shadowheart. Mark my words, you will not live to see the day Ashfoot dies," I hissed into his ear. I pulled away from him. His eyes were filled with pure hatred and a spark of fear. I walked over to Nightowl. He watched me curiously. "Sharptongue, can you watch my kits for a while?" I asked my brother's mate. "Sure," she answered. Nightowl followed me to the entrance of the camp. We walked down to the lake. "Nightowl. There is something I have to tell you," I began. He settled into his seat and looked at my alertly. "Shadowheart is more horrible than he seems," I said. His gaze never changed as I told him everything. I told him about the rogues he sent on me all the way to when I had followed him to the small forest and overheard his plans. I also told him about my dream. "Just now, in camp, I saw him watching Flamingkit. I told him to stay away from my kits and that I knew what he was planning. Nightowl, I'm afraid. We never know when his attack will be," I said. "Red-eye, this is not your battle," he whispered. I bristled. "And it is not yours either. Stop making his actions your fault!" I hissed. His eyes grew sad. "It is my battle. I must get rid of him for the sake of the Clan," he said solemly. "I don't want you to end up like Darkspirit and Brightsoul," I whispered. "We won't. I swear it by StarClan," he said. We purred and watched the sun set. Chapter 2 "Redpaw, your mentor will be Red-eye," Onestar said. Onestar had just made my kits and Sharptongue's kits apprentices. Nightowl was training Gingerpaw, Sharptongue was training Wolfpaw, Cherryflame was training Robinpaw, Lightheart was training Specklepaw, Solarflare was training Flamingpaw, and I was training Redpaw. "I'll go with Solarflare to train my apprentice," I told the other four mentors. They nodded and the four mentors and apprentices went off together to train their apprentices. I saw Ravenflight come out of the Warriors' den. "Ravenflight! Come with us!" I called. She nodded and followed Solarflare, Flamingpaw, Redpaw, and me out of camp. "This is the lake," I said. I watched Redpaw sniff the water. Solarflare and I stood side-by-side. Flamingpaw and Ravenflight explored farther into our territory. "We haven't gone on patrol together in a long time," my brother murmured. I sighed. "Yes. I've missed it. We used to rely so much on each other," I said. We heard a wail and then a ferocious yowl. I immediatly rushed toward the sound, Solarflare and Redpaw right behind me. We found Flamingpaw next to the still body of Ravenflight. He looked up at me, red eyes wide. "Something attack me and she got in the way. She won't move, mom, she won't move," he said, hystaria edging his meow. I stared blankly at Ravenflight. "She died bravely," I whispered. I stood next to Nightowl as the elders carried Ravenflight to be buried. He stared blankly at the ground. "Nightowl. She died proudly," I said. He shook his head. "Now I know how you felt. Will anything ever fill this hole in my heart?" he asked quietly. "No," I whispered. I nudged him towards the Warriors den. "Go get some rest. I'll train your apprentice untill you wake up," I said. He looked at me. "I love you," he meowed. "And I you," I said and pushed him gently into the den. Chapter 3 I watched ThunderClan walk into the forest. We were just at the worst Gathering I had ever seen. RiverClan and ShadowClan had pronounced a War against ThunderClan because of a cat. My Clan agreed to fight alongside ThunderClan. I saw Flamingpaw and Whitepaw touch noses before joining their Clans. I sensed that he and the little black she-cat had already formed a bond of friendship. That was good, because ever since Ravenflight died, he found it hard to be normal. I didn't blame him. "Come on," I said gently and we walked together. We got close to camp, but I sensed something. "Stop," I said out loud. Cats turned and looked at me, but then they sensed it too. I was at the back of the group. I turned and felt a sense of dread wash over me. There was a huge group of rogues led by Ice. I immediatly turned and looked for Nightowl and Shadowheart. They rushed at us and I was attacked by Fall. "Did you miss me?" he snarled. I attacked him fiercly. He was caught off guard, but came back quickly. We fought for a while before loners flooded our ranks. "CoyotePack! Attack these miserable rogues!" a cat yowled. Wolf and Tiger ran towards me. *** After the familiar faces took the unruly cat off my paws, I continued to seek what I sought. And there I found them. Pelt to pelt, eye to eye, strike to strike they were equal. They were together, but they couldn't have been further apart. I had learned to tell them apart, but the fire in there eyes was equal, and all recognization was lost. As they dissapeared amongst the fighting WindClan cats, another slammed into my side, and the fight was on again. *** The cat that attacked me was Dusk. I was suddently filled with pure hatred. I attacked without mercy. When he realized I wasn't weak, he scurried off. I turned and saw that Nightowl was beating Shadowheart. I saw Ashfoot limping. "Shadowheart attacked me! Kill him!" Ashfoot yowled. "He killed Flamingsoot and Ravenflight too! And he tried to kill me!" I yowled. The rogues turned and fled, all except Ice and Mercy. They were locked in a horrible battle. Nightowl had Shadowheart pinned, a look of fury in his eyes. The loners and WindClan watched as Mercy started to win. She gave one last lunge and bit down hard on Ice's throught. Blood stained the white cat's coat. Ice staggered away, pale-blue eyes flaming, and collapsed, dead. We looked back at Mercy. She was bleeding heavily, especially from her throught. She turned to me. "Did I do well? Are you safe?" she asked. "Yes. Why did you turn on your leader?" I asked. "I hate what he does to cats. I'm not going to make it," she gasped and fell to the ground, shaking. I rushed forward with Onestar at my heels. "Mercy. For your brave act of courage, I give you a new name so that you may be recognized as a Clan cat in StarClan," Onestar began. Mercy's eyes shone. I hated the fact that she would die. "Mercy, I christen you Mercysoul, for your ability to understand right and wrong," Onestar said and touched noses with the dieing cat. She gave one last purr of joy and rested her head on her paws. Her breathing stopped. WindClan bowed their heads. The sun started to come up. Onestar turned to Wolf and Tiger. "As I understand it, this is not the first time you have come to Red-eye's aid," Onestar said. They nodded. "Then you deserve new names in honor of what you have done. Wolf, I now name you Wolfheart. Tiger, I now name you Tigerspirit. May StarClan recieve you with open paws," Onestar said. WindClan walked back to camp and enjoyed a well deserved rest. Chapter 4 (A/N: This chapter has scenes of cold-blooded murder. It is not rated Safe. Rated Teen or Mature.) WindClan had been guarding Shadowheart for moons. There was a great fear of him becoming the next Tigerstar. We don't want to kill him, but banishing him could be disasterous. Right now, I was only focused on my kits' Warrior cerimonys. "Flamingpaw, I now name you Flamingraven, after Ravenflight," Onestar said and layed his muzzle on Flamingraven's haed. My son licked the leader's sholder in respect. Wolfpaw had become Wolfpelt, Specklepaw was now Speckleface, Robinpaw was now Robinfeather, Redpaw is Redflame, and Gingerpaw is Gingerpatch. They moved to the center of the camp for their vigil. Thank StarClan it was new-leaf. I sat next to Shadowheart. It was my turn to guard him. He glared at me. "You brought this onto yourself," I said. I watched my kits and Sharptongue's kits through the night. Nightowl took my position and I releaved my kin from their vigil. I walked into my den and layed on my nest. Sleep was a relief that came quickly. I woke up and walked out of the den into a warm night. It was already moon-high. The Clan was frantic. "Shadowheart and Speckleface are missing! I looked away for one second and he was gone!" Graystorm wailed. I instantly bolted out of camp toward the lake. I remembered the rocks and the cat that had been between them. StarClan had been sending me signs. Nightowl ran next to m, a wild look in his eyes. Flamingraven and Wolfpelt ran ahead of me. When we got to the lake, I saw Speckleface floating between the two rocks in the lake, blood foaming around her. My kits ran toward her, Nightowl close behind. I saw Shadowheart next to the lake, blood dripping and pooling around his claws. I made a split second decision and swerved toward him. I leaped into his side and nocked him over. I clawed him mercilessly. I bit down hard on his neck and watched him try to stagger away. I purred an insane purr and jumped high into the air and landed on his spine. He fell benieth me and I purred louder. I ripped my claws along his back and listened to him screech. I loved the pain I was causing him. Suddently, I had an idea that I would enjoy insanely too much. I grabbed his scruff and hauled him to the lake. I shoved his head underneith the water and held him there. He thrashed and squirmed underneith me. I held him there untill the thrashing stopped completely. His blood was being carried to the center of the lake. I pulled him out and dropped him on the sand. I actually considered de-pelting him. Then a wave of cold anxiety washed over me. I had killed a cat in cold-blood. StarClan would never accept me now. I looked at Nightowl. His eyes were as hard as flint. They held no sorrow, only hatred for the cat I had killed. I looked at Shadowheart and the sand changed to dead grass. I looked up and saw Darkspirit and Brightsoul fighting. I was between StarClan and the Dark Forest. "Don't worry. StarClan will accept you," a hauntingly familiar voice said. I looked and saw Speckleface standing next to me. "That was your decision, Red-eye. It was either let him escape or kill him. Now Brightsoul is starting to win," a voice said from my other side. I looked and saw Flamingsoot and Ravenflight. Other cats appeared and stood behind me in ranks. "We must stay here. We don't go to StarClan untill Darkspirit has left these lands. All cats who were killed by the greed and evil of another cat come here," all of the cats said at the same time. "So... if you were killed by Tigerstar or Brokenstar, you come here?" I asked. A red tom came forward and a little she-kit. "I am Redfur, former deputy of ThunderClan. I came here because I was killed by Tigerstar," said the russet tom. "I am Flowerpaw. I was trained too early by Brokenstar and died because of it. I should still be a kit," the little kit said. "I hope you will be happy with the last part of your fate. You truly deserve it," Ravenflight said and I was back on WindClan territory. I looked around. I saw Speckleface and ran forward to mourn her. I hope StarClan really would accept me. I was glad to be rid of that menace, and my life would start anew. A/N Red-eye went temporarily insane in that chapter. That was kinda' fun to wright, actually. Once you read this, leave a message on my talk page about it. This is the end of this series. Keep an eye out for The Scruff series. The first book is called The Scruffs' Forgotten. Thanks for reading! Rainfire 23:54, April 21, 2010 (UTC)